Blossoms in Winter
by Himedere Sugar
Summary: Fifty sentences dedicated to the Dark Lord reborn and his ever watchful guardian-turned-lover.


_#01 - Air_  
Arikado is aware that Soma can't take the summer heat, but when he walks through the door of Soma's apartment and spots his ward lying on the sofa with a fan blowing in his face, a cold cloth on his forehead, and his shirt pushed up past his stomach, he can't help but laugh.

 _#02 - Apples_  
"It's kind of your Master to share these with me," says the youth with a gentle smile as he accepts another apple from the Fairy familiar.

 _#03 - Beginning_  
Soma feels a mixture of emotions, and he manages to choke through his disbelief, "You deceived me from the start."

 _#04 - Bugs_  
Soma backs away from the laptop a moment and turns to look at his mentor, asking, "How did you get this many viruses overnight? Have you been watching porn behind my back?"

 _#05 - Coffee_  
"There's a reason why Soma only drinks decaffeinated coffee," mutters the dhampir with a frown thinning his lips, remembering that fateful night Yoko introduced Soma to Espresso.

 _#06 - Dark_  
The coffin is dark and cramped, but Soma doesn't mind because sleeping with Alucard is a rare opportunity that he won't pass up.

 _#07 - Despair_  
Loss of a loved one is a wound that never completely heals, and the scar easily opens again if left unattended; thankfully Alucard has an understanding friend and partner to combat the pain.

 _#08 - Doors_  
When all the doors slam shut in his face and there seems to be nowhere else to run to, Soma knows that he has his friends and a watchful guardian to fall back on.

 _#09 - Drink_  
Soma encourages blood-drinking because nothing feels better than having his life drained away drop by drop (and watching his stoic mentor melt into a panting, huffing mess is a great benefit too.)

 _#10 - Duty_  
"I owe it to humanity because of what my father has done," laments the dhampir with a sigh, "and the last thing I want to do is involve innocents like yourself and Mina."

 _#11 - Earth_  
The Tepes ancestral tomb runs deep into the Earth, and during Soma's first visit, he starts to feel a little claustrophobic; Alucard simply turns and keeps his cloak wrapped around the boy's shoulders, silently reassuring him with a kiss to the temple.

 _#12 - End_  
Soma smiles sweetly and holds Alucard close to his chest, whispering into his ear as he impales himself on the end of the dhampir's blade, "Forgive me."

 _#13 - Fall_  
Arikado happens upon a strange surge of dark energy similar to his father's while passing by a high school campus; he glances across the way and spots the energy's source among a shower of cascading leaves, a young boy with pale hair and fierce blue eyes.

 _#14 - Fire_  
His hands are colder than arctic frost but his touch sears Soma's skin and leaves the poor boy gasping for air.

 _#15 - Flexible_  
"I don't even want to know what you two did last night..." mumbles Julius after seeing Soma stagger in through the office door and hearing his equally weary partner mutter something about 'I had no idea you were so flexible.'

 _#16 - Flying_  
Transformations are among Soma's favorite powers, and he especially enjoys his bat form because it's easier to torment Alucard with high pitch squeaks and fluttering around his head constantly.

 _#17 - Food_  
"Of course you can have some cake," Arikado explains with a scheming smile, but when Soma reaches for the plate he pulls it away from him and finishes, "but only if you'll allow me to feed it to you."

 _#18 - Foot_  
Soma instantly regrets rushing headfirst into danger when Arikado has to piggback him for the rest of their journey because of a sprained ankle.

 _#19 - Grave_  
Arikado swallows thickly and leans over to peer into the open grave, his breath hitching; there lies his beloved Soma Cruz, cold and dead in the ground with a bouquet clutched in his hands.

 _#20 - Green_  
Soma is still a virgin and Alucard didn't expect him to last long from the start; Alucard whispers a suggestion into the youth's ear, and then Soma suddenly orgasms without warning, much to the shock of both men.

 _#21 - Head_  
There is something oddly adorable about Soma when he glances up at the dhampir from a compromising position on his knees, his face buried between Alucard's thighs while he attempts to give him head.

 _#22 - Hollow_  
"Why doesn't your heart beat, though? You're only half vampire..." murmurs Soma against his guardian's chest, pressing his ear closer and hearing naught but the hollow sound of his breathing.

 _#23 - Honor_  
"There is nothing honorable about what I do because I do it purely for selfish reasons...because I wish to honor her memory, not disgrace it by idling with grief," answers the dhampir at length, refilling his glass with more wine.

 _#24 - Hope_  
Soma Cruz is the light that Alucard finally sees at the end of this long, arduous tunnel, and the final leg of his father's equally difficult journey.

 _#25 - Light_  
"I can read auras, Soma. Arikado-san has a very dark one, but it's not the slightest bit threatening...No, I feel a strong urge to protect those around him pulsating from it instead," murmurs Mina while she traces patterns of light around the photograph given to her.

 _#26 - Lost_  
When Arikado finally arrives, he finds his young ward sitting on the bench outside of the cathedral with a map in his lap and a look of sheer frustration etched into his lovely features.

 _#27 - Metal_  
"I wonder what kind of woman she was, your mother, that is," muses the youth while he runs his slender fingers along the flat of Alucard's blade, one of two heirlooms left to him by his mother.

 _#28 - New_  
It is with great reluctance that Alucard accepts Soma's feelings and tries embracing his own after some subtle, silent encouragement from the one watching over him, his mother.

 _#29 - Old_  
Soma shakes his head and holds the ring out to Arikado, stammering, "This was hers, wasn't it? It's been in your family for years...I just...I can't take it from you."

 _#30 - Peace_  
It's not the battles that they barely survive, it's the lazy peace that follows.

 _#31 - Poison_  
Love is a poison that slowly debilitates the heart and all rationality, Arikado knows, but he can't contain the odd warmth that follows whenever Soma comes around.

 _#32 - Pretty_  
Yoko stands behind Soma to catch a glimpse of what he's gawking at, and she giggles, nudging him while whispering, "Arikado looks pretty good in a pair of glasses, ne?"

 _#33 - Rain_  
Soma remembers where he first met Arikado now, a long time ago at his mother's funeral; the rain wouldn't stop pouring down and the only thing keeping Soma dry was a solemn-faced man with a black umbrella.

 _#34 - Regret_  
Darkness swirls around the throne room and invades Soma's most inner being, eating away at his humanity until all that remains are memories of sins long past and the lament of wrongful death.

 _#35 - Roses_  
There is a beautiful creature in the Celia's garden this evening, admiring the roses creeping along the stone walls, and Soma isn't sure whether to count him as friend or foe; he approaches the man from behind and gasps when he turns around, "Do I...know you?"

 _#36 - Secret_  
Alucard offers him a smile and simply replies, "I withhold more secrets from those I wish to protect most."

 _#37 - Snakes_  
Sometimes Alucard feels like the serpent tempting Eve when he's lying in bed with Soma in his arms, sleeping peacefully against him.

 _#38 - Snow_  
One of Arikado's favorite pastimes consist of having Soma's head resting on his knee while Arikado runs his fingers through the boy's soft, snowy hair.

 _#39 - Solid_  
Soma bolts awake from his nightmare sobbing and reaching out to the man in front of him, clutching at the folds of his undershirt and asking if he's really there or not.

 _#40 - Spring_  
"It's just a seasonal cold I catch every spring. You didn't have to come all the way out here and baby me like this," sniffles Soma beneath his thick duvet after Arikado takes the thermometer from his mouth.

 _#41 - Stable_  
Nothing about adolescence is stable as is, so it's even more dangerous that Soma is awakened as Dracula when he is; thankfully he has a mentor who already battled the same hormonal imbalances and incredible powers when he was Soma's age.

 _#42 - Strange_  
"I met a strange man in Celia's garden...he said his name was Alucard and that he worked for the Church," Soma says to Yoko, fidgeting with the pendant around his neck, "but I feel like I already know him. Can you tell me anything more about him?"

 _#43 - Summer_  
"God, it's too hot to do _anything_ ," groans Soma to the man behind him, shifting his feet around in the ice water and fanning himself again.

 _#44 - Taboo_  
'Cradle Robber' is but one of many affectionate nicknames Arikado earns from his associates after they learn he's dating a boy centuries younger than him.

 _#45 - Ugly_  
It scares Soma witless when he suddenly awakens to a scream in the bed beside him, Alucard writhing to get away from him, his eyes glazed with need and want both, fangs protruding from his mouth, and sharp nails raking along the wall.

 _#46 - War_  
"Because if they threaten me then they'll threaten the ones I love," says Dracula's reincarnation with steely resolve, "so if it's a battle they want, then it's a battle they'll get. Why wait for them to come to me when I can bring the fight to them instead?"

 _#47 - Water_  
Soma's eyes are deep and clear, and sometimes Arikado swears he sees a younger, happier vision of his father reflected in those reservoirs.

 _#48 - Welcome_  
The brilliance radiating from Soma's soul is unrivaled and most welcoming; Arikado can't recall the last mortal he encountered with such a purity other than his mother.

 _#49 - Winter_  
Arikado's ward abruptly stops complaining about the cold when his mentor removes his own scarf and wraps it around Soma's neck instead.

 _#50 - Wood_  
There is a small, wooden crucifix that Alucard carries on his person at all times; upon closer inspection one late evening, Soma discovers the charm inscribed on its front in ancient Romani, most likely a spell of protection from Alucard's late mother.


End file.
